Gibson SG

[overdrive]

I was planning to buy a Gibson SG this summer and I was wondering if it is a good buy. Although I have a Line 6 pod the SG won't change the sound. But I would like to know if it is still a good guitar.
I've played one once and it felt alright but I wouldn't mind a second oppinion.

If anyone could help it would be most appriciated.

[Edited by overdrive on 05-30-2001 at 06:48 PM]

[Lordathestrings]

Gibson's SG was their shot at a low-bridge straight-neck. They screwed it up big-time, on the dual-pickup models, because there is not enough 'meat' between the neck joint and the pickup. This area is so weak that the guitar is hard to tune. Any tension change on one string causes the other five to wander off. :eek: The single-pickup version is more stable, but that's not the model most players have in mind.

All of the Gibson line has another weak spot in the transition from the neck to the headstock. Repair shops stay in business because Gibson's "lose their heads" :rolleyes: so often.

I suggest some open-mindedness is in order. The music is the main consideration: everything else comes down to making it happen. If you play complicated jazz chords, you need a relatively short scale length, and any 'Gibson-style' may be a good choice for you. If you have long fingers, or you spend a lot of time at the high end, the Gibson scale length is likely to cramp your style, and a Strat-type' axe may fit you better.

If you like a particular sound, shut your eyes and let your ears do their thing. I've owned 'Pauls, an SG, a Strat, and a Jaguar. I haven't kept any of them. I still play the Yamaha SBG-1000 I bought back in '77, (for 1/2 the price of a Les Paul Custom). I've put DiMarzio pickups in it, and it sounds so good that when I was short of rent money, I sold my '62 Strat, and kept the SBG. I've also got an old Washburn A-20. It looks plug-ugly, but I don't see much of it when I'm playing it, and it sounds so good, I don't care what it looks like. :D

[PonyOne]

I happen to love my SG Special. It has high output in the neck, and the bridge is really high. It has a Duncan Buckshot performer in the bridge, and a P90 in the neck; may not look so great but it sounds like a dream.

Note first though that SG's are inherently deep-sounding guitars, if you want a high pitched screamer get a Jag. The two things i don't like about my SG are the fact that it came with four knobs; i know some like it and i understand why they're there but honestly, i don't like that many knobs. I tend to turn the wrong one the wrong way unless I'm looking at them. So I took two out, routed everything to two of the pickups, and filled the old holes.
It looks like an Epi Special; no pickguard, brightish cherry finish, and two knobs.
The other bone i have is that it is not at all a "clean" guitar; it is a total metal machine, which is due more to the fact i modded it.

I think the SG is a good choice, provided you want something deep, growly, and ballsy. If you don't like the growl, you can always get sing-songy-er pickups. Also look at the single-pickup model; most SG players seem to only use the bridge. I also dug the Epi G400 Custom i tried (three pickup model).
And then there's the fact that they look cool.